if you have a bulging disk in your lower back, pls come in..

My DH had L4 to L5 herniation and bulging. Got by with chiropractic care and pain killers for 8 years, then elected to get surgery when his neurosurgeon told him it would be a 15 minute, out of the hospital same day, go back to work in two weeks surgery. He's very happy he elected to do it.

Hugs for the pain. I get it.

I did 9 months of physical therapy and all other sorts of conservative treatments. I ended up with surgery and wondered why I had put it off.

I have 2 more that have responded to conservative treatment. I have had the shots, the pt, the chiropractor and acupuncture.

I feel your pain.... I have the same kind of pain... I had xrays in November and they didn't show any bulging discs but they did show a little arthritis. We are waiting for the insurance to kick in so I can get an mri. There is times I can't do any kind of moving, walking, standing, sitting, laying, I am in pain 24 hours aday. The one thing that has helped me is going to the chiropractor. I have been getting a message once a month before my adjustments. They also have this ultra sound thing they do that really helps it. I still can't do much but I have gotten the pain to come down from way above 10 to about 7 or 8 most of the time. It also effects my hips and thighs. The chiropractor thinks that there is something going on in there that the xrays don't show. I have had this problem since March. I can't even sit on my spin bike. just sitting on the seat hurts. It is a very cushioned seat and it shouldn't hurt. I do have the hot tub and it helps. heat is the best. ice makes it hurt worse. I also found when I am sitting int he recliner I have to put a pillow up under my left hip so I can sit there. I have to be reclined some. I can't just sit on the couch. It hurts. If I sit in a chair I have to sit on a pillow. there are times I can't walk from my living room to the bathroom without being in pain.....


I would call a chiropractor and see if they can help..... I know when mine adjusts me i can get a good 2 days of low pain with only doing in the house stuff. If I have to go to any stores or do anything more than normal daily in the house kind of stuff I can't even get 1 day. There is no way I can go shopping without being in too much pain. Safeway kicks my butt.

good luck... I hope you feel better soon....

HUGS!!!! DH is in the same boat although they aren't really sure where the problem is. He has another CT scan scheduled for this week, but today he is down in his chair. He's done PT. They checked the upper spine which made me crazy because it's been more his lower back and hips. It's soo hard to get relief for the pain. He's on HydroCodone now till they finish the testing.He did get one of those pads for his chair, that vibrates and has heat. He can adjust the settings. He's also tried the pain patches with the electro shock. That helped for when we had to be in the car.
I hope you get some relief!!

What's Norco? Dh did Tramadol for a while but it didn't work. So he has the HydroCodone. I don't like him taking it when he has to take two just to numb the pain. It's just stupid. 

Epidural steroid injections and water aerobics were what helped me. During bad flare ups, ice has always helped me more than heat. Hope you find some relief.

I have had a bulging disk for a few years now. First year the pain was unbearable. I couldn't sit or lay down. It was pressing on my sciatic neerve. It was terrible. I went to an ortho, physical therapist and chiropractor. The pain is managable now but I keep waiting for it to fully come back. It has left me with nerve damage in my foot and it is numb all of the time.

No doctor around here (pittsburgh) recommends or even wants to perform the back surgery. so its not so easy to fix as some think

My BFF finally had back surgery and while she is better than she was she's still having pain and numbness. Her surgery was about 18 months ago.

Norco is hydrocodone. I'm not sure why that is the name on the script. I must say I do take two Tramadol instead of just one, but that usually does it the trick. 
The pain specialist I'm seeing is not too much in favor of prescribing hydrocodone, or narcotics in general, he seems to think it makes matters worse instead of better. Since he told me that at my first appointment, maybe what he was really saying was, if you are seeking narcotics, you're in the wrong place. So far it hasn't been an issue for me, so I haven't had to push the envelope. 

I am so sorry that you are having such pain, but I sure would like to thank you for the thread title that I keep misreading. I can't stop giggling and wondering what really goes on behind bedroom doors of the peas that would prompt such a question.

Your back pain is exactly where my problem is.  I dealt with it off and on for about 15 years, and then I couldn't stand it any longer and saw a chiropractor.  He did manual manipulation which helped, but not enough for normalcy.  He did this stretching technique that caused incontinence, so I ended up getting a referral to an orthopedist to go over my options.  The MRI showed a bulging disc and arthritis.  The surgeon shaved off the bulging disc almost four years ago. 

Things have been great until very recently, but now I know how to deal with it.  I take ibuprofen, stretches, and my TENS unit.  I also try to eat along the lines of the deflame.com diet.

I agree and do all of the above things too. I've had back pain for almost 6 years now...wow, I can't believe it's been that long. It started with back spams and aching. But after a couple of years, I got an MRI done because I was having daily pain. I found out I have a herniated and bulging disk, degenerative disk disease and bone spurs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I tried epidural injections but got almost no relief. We don't have insurance for a chiropractor and I'm scared to see one anyway. I'm currently on daily doses of Zanaflex, Motrin and Neurontin.

I finally saw an orthopedic surgeon in October and his recommendation was a double disk fusion. I said, thanks but no thanks and cried in his office (so embarrassing). I can't stand or sit for long periods of time and use a 'butt pillow' if I'm sitting at my computer. My pain radiates in my butt and sometimes down my left leg.

I've done physical therapy and use a balance ball at home and do yoga stretches. I also use heat nightly. 

I worry about the future all the time. My hope is to do a lot of travelling one day, but this problem may prevent that. I'm almost 46 years old and feel too young for this chronic pain.